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Look to Jesus, not cherry-picked verses

In response to Mr. Antle’s request for information (Aug. 14), I need to refer to the hermeneutical principle of treating the whole of scripture as we do with particular verses.

Yes, Leviticus does consider homosexuality an abomination. But in the paragraphs before the one you quoted, adultery and child disobedience are also considered an abomination. In regard to Sodom and Gomorrah, licentiousness which includes adultery and homosexuality are included.

Why do we not condemn adultery in the same way we condemn homosexuality? One leader of the anti-gay movement told me that it was hopeless to stop adultery, so they were going to focus on homosexuality. That is interesting because homosexuality is no threat to traditional marriages whereas adultery is a major problem.

In Genesis we read that God created humans. It is a fact that 5 percent of humans are homosexual. Why did God create them that way? This is a genetic fact. Homosexuals are no more immoral than the rest of the population. It seems that God is playing a horrific game. From your argument, it seems that God created 5 percent of the population in order that they will suffer bigotry and prejudice.

Mr. Antle, this is the best I can do in 400 words or fewer. The point is that nearly any position we take in society can be supported by the Bible when we interpret the Bible the way you are doing. I mentioned the Ku Klux Klan and all segregationists used the Noah story to support their position. Some churches still use the Apostle Paul to support restricting women in the church. The German church used the Apostle Paul’s attitude toward accepting our political leaders as ordained by God. As a result they did nothing to stop the annihilation of the Jews during World War II.

I appreciate your concern for Biblical truth and “the truth shall make you free.” But in order to get to the truth, we need to stop picking a verse here and a verse there to support our attitudes while ignoring what the rest of the Bible says. If you insist on considering homosexuals immoral, then remember that Jesus came to heal the sick and that he associated with tax collectors and sinners. I would rather use Jesus as my mentor than be selective in searching for a verse here and there to teach me.